Microsoft is reportedly going to attempt to conjure some magic from slate computing at next month's CES event in Las Vegas.
According to the New York Times, which cites people familiar with the matter, Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer will announce a number of devices built by hardware pals Samsung, Dell and others.
Apparently, …

Brilliant business plan

Showing off Vapourware

Microsoft Standard Operating Procedure since the early eighties.

Back in the day, whenever a new "computing paradigm" or "killer app" emerged (and there were lots back then) Bill Gates would stand up and announce that Microsoft were going to release the same thing Real Soon Now and that people should just wait for that.

Sure enough, most people would indeed sit back and wait for the MS version of whatever it was to come along.

It doesn't work so well these days of course, but Monkey Boy has always been a bit slow on the uptake it seems.

One day we'll all reminisce...

Microsoft barking up the wrong UI

Microsoft is caught between a rock and, well, Windows. In its ongoing pursuit of maintaining the relevancy of Windows, Microsoft has bolted its floorboards to a mouse-centric UI - all the while the world is moving towards touch-centric UI. Trying to adapt Windows to a touch-centric low-resource environment is like Formula 1 racing with a dump truck.

Driven by the never-ending desire to avoid "cannibalism" (having anything at Microsoft compete with Windows or Office), Microsoft has deftly avoided putting itself in the position of being able to really compete with the iPad. It certainly has the resources, but it would need to (among other things) aggressively build an application community which is separate from Windows (shockers!). This will certainly happen - after Windows revenue has dropped by about 50%, and then it will be a way-too-late act of desperation.

But will it...

Struth, is that it?

Steve, Windows aint right on a tablet format machine. It didn't work with Windows 3.10, nor XP and it's not going to work for whatever your latest monster's called.

Oh yes, I remember, you're not good at listening.

iOS and Android aren't perfect, but they're a hell of a lot more optimised for diddy devices than a full-blown OS such as OSX^H^H^H Windows whatever Hence Apple have flogged more iPads in a few months than have ever been sold in nigh-on 20 years of windows for tablets..

I give up. You're not listening and you're late to market. Ye reaps what ye sows.

HP Slate 500 shipped

Sure, didn't make it into shops (regrettably), but the HP Slate that Ballmer was waving around at CES last year did indeed ship in 2010 via HP's website.

A good "1.0" version, I have high hopes for the 650 or whatever is next (the 550 is still not as good as my old circa 2004 HP TC1100 *sigh*).

Anyway, for those that know it and use it (and tweak it), Windows is excellent on slates and convertibles for the touch and ink experience.

Here's hoping the choices finally get better in the coming year, and the manufacturers will make those useful tweaks PART OF THE DAMN DEFAULTS for a change... too many of the anti-windows reviews on touch devices would be averted by some simple explorer and app tweaks, FFS.

So You Say MS is Relevant

@paul.s

Whilst (nearly) any individual Microsoft application can be surpassed by alternatives, no set of alternatives interoperates as well as Microsoft's gear. Say what you will: but the complete Microsoft "stack" is actually a fairly compelling case in and of itself for it's own existence. It works well when it works together; but you have to be prepared for very nearly a Microsoft monoculture in the server room.

Thanks to the diversity of good product working well together, they aren’t going to be driven out by a bunch of great products that need lots of TLC to even know about one another’s existence. Well, not yet anyways…

Touch it up!

When a true touch+pressure sensitive OS that gives Windows app integration with Andoid's zip and is not related to a fruit, I'll buy . . . oh, and on a phone that works as a phone! Until then I'll stick with my HTC Desire and HP tx2530 tablet PC. Pads are for the incontinent aren't they?